Bonaventure Station
Encyclopedia
Bonaventure Station is the name of several railway
stations located in Downtown
Montreal
, Quebec
.
Named for its location on Saint Bonaventure Streethttp://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/cargeo/high/trag0014_n.jpg, now Saint Jacques Street
, the first Bonaventure Station was built in 1847 as the main terminal for the Montreal and Lachine Railway. The structure was leased by the Grand Trunk Railway
in 1864 to provide access to the downtown for that company; GTR subsequently purchased the station and incorporated it as the railway's Montreal terminal.
In the 1880s, the Intercolonial Railway began using Bonventure Station as its western terminal for service running from Halifax
, Nova Scotia
and other points in the Maritimes (see Ocean Limited
).
Montreal was a city ripe with speculation from real estate developers during the railway boom from the 1880s to the early 1910s. The Canadian Pacific Railway
constructed the majestic Windsor Station
soon after the company was formed, with the Richardsonian structure opening in 1889.
Railways at the turn of the 20th century considered their terminal stations to be "prestige projects" and GTR was no different when the company began to seriously consider building a replacement for Bonaventure Station in 1900. A design for the new Bonaventure Station was commissioned by Chicago
architects Frost and Granger, however in the end the new station was never built as the GTR began to focus on its Grand Trunk Pacific
transcontinental railway project.
In 1910, the Canadian Northern Railway
(CNoR) came to town and secretly purchased three entire blocks of downtown Montreal property for a major terminal and real estate development to coincide with the construction of its Mount Royal Tunnel
. A temporary terminal facility was constructed to coincide with the tunnel project, however financial difficulties at CNoR resulting from declining traffic levels following the commencement of World War I
delayed completion.
On March 1, 1916 the GTR's historic Bonaventure Station was destroyed by a disastrous fire. A temporary second Bonaventure Station was built in its place.
that December to form Canadian National Railways (CNR). GTR faced similar financial problems and by 1923 was also absorbed into the CNR.
CNR made use of the GTR's temporary second Bonaventure Station, as well as the temporary CNoR station at the southern end of the Mount Royal Tunnel line, however it soon became evident that the railway required a central railway terminal in Montreal's downtown. In 1929, six years after absorbing GTR, Parliament approved the "Canadian National Montreal Terminals Act, 1929" which began the process of consolidating and rationalizing terminal trackage in the Montreal area and almost 15 years later on July 14, 1943 CNR opened Central Station on the former CNoR lands.
The temporary CNoR station was closed after Central Station was opened and the temporary second Bonaventure Station was demolished in November 1952.
In addition to Place Ville Marie, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel
, and the CN Headquarters, Montreal became home to one of the largest commercial retail/office developments in the world when Place Bonaventure
was built above part of the Central Station
terminal trackage, a few blocks northeast of the former location of Bonaventure Station. This development was built between 1966-1967, in advance of Expo 67
, with the newly-commissioned Montreal Planetarium
constructed near the actual site of both Bonaventure Stations.
A Metro
station was built to service the area, opening on February 13, 1967 and is named Bonaventure Metro Station
.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
stations located in Downtown
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Papineau Avenue to the east, Guy Street or until Shaughnessy Village to the west,...
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Grand Trunk Railway
Saint Jacques Street
Saint Jacques Street is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.The street has had two official names: St. James Street in English after St. James's, London; and its current appellation, rue Saint-Jacques, in French. Both names are sometimes used in English, though Saint-Jacques is the most...
, the first Bonaventure Station was built in 1847 as the main terminal for the Montreal and Lachine Railway. The structure was leased by the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
in 1864 to provide access to the downtown for that company; GTR subsequently purchased the station and incorporated it as the railway's Montreal terminal.
In the 1880s, the Intercolonial Railway began using Bonventure Station as its western terminal for service running from Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and other points in the Maritimes (see Ocean Limited
Ocean (passenger train)
The Ocean is a Canadian passenger train operated by Via Rail between Montreal, Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is currently the oldest continuously-operated named passenger train in North America. The Oceans schedule takes approximately 21 hours, running overnight in both directions...
).
Montreal was a city ripe with speculation from real estate developers during the railway boom from the 1880s to the early 1910s. The Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
constructed the majestic Windsor Station
Windsor Station (Montreal)
Windsor Station is a former train station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formerly serving as the city's Canadian Pacific Railway Station.Windsor Station was the Canadian Pacific Railway's headquarters built between 1887 and 1889. The Romanesque Revival building was designed by New York architect...
soon after the company was formed, with the Richardsonian structure opening in 1889.
Railways at the turn of the 20th century considered their terminal stations to be "prestige projects" and GTR was no different when the company began to seriously consider building a replacement for Bonaventure Station in 1900. A design for the new Bonaventure Station was commissioned by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
architects Frost and Granger, however in the end the new station was never built as the GTR began to focus on its Grand Trunk Pacific
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
transcontinental railway project.
In 1910, the Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
(CNoR) came to town and secretly purchased three entire blocks of downtown Montreal property for a major terminal and real estate development to coincide with the construction of its Mount Royal Tunnel
Mount Royal Tunnel
The Mount Royal Tunnel is a railway tunnel located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It connects the city's Gare Centrale/Central Station, located downtown, with the north side of the Island of Montreal and Laval, passing through Mount Royal. Since 1995, the only trains using the tunnel are commuter...
. A temporary terminal facility was constructed to coincide with the tunnel project, however financial difficulties at CNoR resulting from declining traffic levels following the commencement of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
delayed completion.
On March 1, 1916 the GTR's historic Bonaventure Station was destroyed by a disastrous fire. A temporary second Bonaventure Station was built in its place.
Canadian National Railways
In September 1918 CNoR went bankrupt and was nationalized by the federal government, merging the company with Canadian Government RailwaysCanadian Government Railways
Canadian Government Railways was the legal name used between 1915–1918 for all federal government-owned railways in Canada.The principal component companies were: the Intercolonial Railway of Canada , the National Transcontinental Railway , the Prince Edward Island Railway , and the Hudson...
that December to form Canadian National Railways (CNR). GTR faced similar financial problems and by 1923 was also absorbed into the CNR.
CNR made use of the GTR's temporary second Bonaventure Station, as well as the temporary CNoR station at the southern end of the Mount Royal Tunnel line, however it soon became evident that the railway required a central railway terminal in Montreal's downtown. In 1929, six years after absorbing GTR, Parliament approved the "Canadian National Montreal Terminals Act, 1929" which began the process of consolidating and rationalizing terminal trackage in the Montreal area and almost 15 years later on July 14, 1943 CNR opened Central Station on the former CNoR lands.
The temporary CNoR station was closed after Central Station was opened and the temporary second Bonaventure Station was demolished in November 1952.
Montreal Metro
The railway lands that had been occupied by GTR for Bonaventure Station, as well as the lands acquired by CNoR in the early part of the 20th century for its real estate developments, had been inherited by CN and the federal government. During the post-war years, CN was directed to commission a major urban redevelopment of the city's downtown using these properties, focusing on its newly-built Central Station.In addition to Place Ville Marie, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel
Queen Elizabeth Hotel
The Queen Elizabeth Hotel is a grand hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Completed in 1958, it was built by the Canadian National Railway, but was later sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels, now Fairmont Hotels and Resorts...
, and the CN Headquarters, Montreal became home to one of the largest commercial retail/office developments in the world when Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure
Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967....
was built above part of the Central Station
Gare Centrale (Montreal)
Central Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 18 million rail passengers use the station every year....
terminal trackage, a few blocks northeast of the former location of Bonaventure Station. This development was built between 1966-1967, in advance of Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, with the newly-commissioned Montreal Planetarium
Montreal Planetarium
The Montreal Planetarium is a public planetarium located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the oldest surviving public planetarium in Canada. It is also Canada's largest, with a seating capacity of approximately 375.-History:The planetarium was opened in advance of Expo 67, located at 1000 Saint...
constructed near the actual site of both Bonaventure Stations.
A Metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
station was built to service the area, opening on February 13, 1967 and is named Bonaventure Metro Station
Bonaventure (Montreal Metro)
Bonaventure is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in the borough of Ville-Marie in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
.